A final ride . . . to the top of the slide.

On Saturday, I rode my bicycle for the final time in 2009. I know . . . I know . . . I've made that prediction several times before. But looking at the weather forecast for the upcoming week, it appears that the bottom will fall out of the thermometer mid-week, with no rebound in sight. We're finally beginning our long slide into the abyss of winter.

On this day, I started my ride sometime around 11:30. Skies were sunny and temperature were in the upper 40s with a light southwesterly breeze. Overall, it was a pretty comfortable ride, warmed mid-way through by a visit to the Roselle Starbucks, where the barista didn't even charge me for my tall cup of coffee. I visited some familiar landmarks for the last time this season, including Springfield Park, the Lake Street bike bridge, Meacham Grove trail, the Schaumburg Metra station, and the Wilcox trail. With the completion of this ride, my seasonal total stands at 1,475.5 miles. I will provide more complete details in my End of Season Report. Unless the weather forecasters do a complete about-face, that will come out soon.

I give up . . . I can't predict the weather!

As my wife and friends point out, I've declared the end of my cycling season on several occasions so far this year. However, each time, the fickle weather of this atypical year makes a liar out of me. So I give up . . . I don't know when my cycling season will end.

My latest late-autumn ride was on Monday, November 23rd, when I took an afternoon off from work and rode a little more than 21 miles. The weather forecast called for sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-50s. What I actually got was cloudy skies and a temperature that peaked at 49. However, those conditions were still abnormally warm for late-November, and with virtually no wind, it was a reasonably comfortable ride.

As I write this blog entry, I notice that the forecast for Saturday is about the same, but with sunny skies. After that, however, the temperatures drop considerably. So will Saturday the 28th be my final ride? Or will we have a mid-December heat wave to make a liar out of me once again?

+ 200

It's hard to imagine that we'll get many more days as nice as Saturday, November 14th. Although it was almost ten degrees cooler than last Sunday (low 60s instead of low 70s), the sunny skies and light winds made it a delightful ride, especially during its first hour. I was quite comfortable wearing a long sleeve t-shirt under my Livestrong jersey and long tights over my cycling shorts. Sensing that this ride could be the last comfortable ride of my 2009 season, I decided to go much farther than yesterday's 17.8 miles. My route took me south to Lies Road, then west to the Hawk Hollow Trail, then north and east through parts of Bartlett, Hanover Park, Schaumburg, and Roselle. In total, today's ride was 28.1 miles.

My seasonal total now stands at 1,435.5 miles -- more than 200 miles more than last year's total. My new monthly total of 130.6 is the most miles I've ever ridden in the month of November. Also, November 14th is the latest date that I've ridden in the past three years (and perhaps ever). Finally, today's ride was my 64th ride of 2009, eclipsing last year's number by one ride. With each of my rides averaging more miles this year, I wasn't sure I would break this record . . . but, lo and behold, I did.

Someone remarked that this year, we had our November weather in October and our October weather in November. That's certainly a good way to describe the topsy-turvy weather during the past six weeks. Metaphorically speaking, the dark storm clouds of winter are gathering in the west. About mid-way through today's ride, dark clouds started moving in from the west. Prophetic? Only time will tell.

1400 miles!

I'm not a superstitious person, but there is irony in the fact that on this day -- Friday the 13th -- I broke out of the 1300s and into the 1400s for the season. It happened at about 2:50 p.m. on the corner of Duxbury and Salem in Schaumburg (see photo).

I took half a personal day from work and started my ride at about 2 o'clock. There was nothing special about today's destination. I rode through streets in Bartlett, Hanover Park, Schaumburg and Roselle, and enjoyed a nice, warm cup of coffee at the Starbucks on Irving Park Road. Rather, it was more about the journey itself -- a journey that has broken new ground for me and (sadly) is now nearing its end.

Today's ride also pushed me over the 100 mile mark for the month, which is the first time that I've ever ridden that far in November. Last year, in fact, I only rode one time for 25.6 miles.

The weather forecast is rather optimistic for tomorrow. Perhaps there will be one more ride this season . . . maybe two?

A Gift

The best way to describe the weather this past weekend is ... a gift. In a year that saw a very late onset of summer, a very cool and wet summer, and a very early start to autumnal weather, a weekend like this was hard to believe. But we'll take it! We certainly deserve it! By late morning on each day, the temperatures had risen to the mid to upper 60s. They would peak in the low 70s, which is very uncharacteristic for November -- especially so this year. Realizing that this may be my last opportunity to plan longer rides, I decided to ride the Illinois Prairie Path one day and Busse Woods the next.

Saturday was my Illinois Prairie Path day. I drove to Prairie Path Cycles, where I rode "The Triangle," as I call it. I first headed northwesterly, along the Elgin Spur of the IPP. At Prince Crossing Road, I joined the Great Western Trail and followed it eastward until it rejoined the IPP in Villa Park. I then headed westward along the Main Stem of the IPP (into a rather stiff headwind) and back to my starting point. The only surprise was in downtown Wheaton, where I discovered that the bridge over the railroad yard was closed for construction. Bikes were routed on a well-marked detour that only added a few minutes to the route. Skies were sunny with temperatures starting in the mid 60s and ending at 70 but with moderate southwesterly winds. I wore base layers of a long sleeve t-shirt and long tights in addition to my shorts and Livestrong jersey. I needed the layers when I was riding (due to the resulting wind chill) but I quickly heated up whenever I stopped.

On Sunday, I knew from the start that I wouldn't need to wear long tights, and I hadn't gone too far before I realized I didn't need the long sleeve t-shirt either. For most of the ride I simply wore my Livestrong jersey and shorts. Sunday was my day to ride pavement instead of crushed stone. The Busse Woods Forest Preserve was my destination. Like Saturday, the skies were sunny. Temperatures may have been a degree or two warmer, but they felt significantly warmer due to the reduced wind. It really felt like summer again! I began my ride at 12:10, rode to Busse Woods, completed two circuits of the loop (the first counter clockwise and the second clockwise), and returned home.

Collectively, I rode 62.6 miles this weekend, and I now find myself only 10 miles short of the 1400 mile mark. I am bold and determined to find those missing miles, regardless of the weather. Stay tuned! The 1400 mile mark is my new goal!

Two More Rides . . . Three More Records

This weekend, I rode both days. Saturday's ride was cold -- a brisk 45 degrees rendered much colder by the lack of sunshine and a rather significant wind chill. Despite my discomfort, I rode nearly 11 miles to and from the town center of Bartlett.

On Sunday, the temperature was (thankfully) nearly 10 degrees warmer, with only a light southerly breeze. It felt much more comfortable as I rode through sections of Roselle, Schaumburg and Hanover Park. I rode a total of 22.1 miles before the setting sun forced me to quit. Curses to the Return of Standard Time.

It's perfectly understandable that when you surpass your seasonal best (as I did on October 4th), every ride sets a record. However, this weekend set a few records that were more significant than normal. On Saturday, I surpassed the 1300 mile mark. On Sunday, my ride added enough additional miles that my 2009 seasonal total now surpasses my 2008 total by over 100 miles. Also, on Sunday I surpassed the 100-hour accumulated riding time mark. I've never done this before. My prior record was just over 94 hours. This 100 hour figure represents actual riding time, since my cycle computer stops counting whenever I stop riding. To put it into perspective, 100 hours translates into 2 1/2 40-hour work weeks.

Every time I now ride, I am conscious of the fact that this ride could be the last one of 2009, even though I hope it isn't. In 2008, my final ride occurred on November 3rd. In 2007, my final ride occurred on November 11th for "Roll the Tollway." I still hope to add a few more rides to my 2009 total.